Are they safe?
Well, kinda, sorta, usually, maybe. It all depends on where you got it, and who built it. You know where you got it, ie the hobby shop. But who built? You will NEVER know. Unless you go to Thailand, China, or where ever it is they concoct these things, and knock on the malnurished, and starving slaves door.
To give you a historyof myself to better understand my thought process, you must read this thread that Jim Ross posted a while back from an unfortunate injury sustained by an ARF when taking some tach readings.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_83...ey_barf/tm.htm
I recently have just gotten back into the hobby after not building any planes since I was 18 years old. I am 33 now, so my little break due to military service aboard a submarine for the last decade has finally come to an end. As a teenager I loved models. I have been building them since.... well, forever, as far as I can recall.
My first RC airplane I built at the age of 15 was a Sig Smith Miniplane. Man, what a chore, but was always my favorite. When I took my little Smith to the field, all the old timers told me that I could not learn to fly with such an unstable plane. They were correct. So they said, go buy an ARF trainer and come back in a week. So, I went to the hobby store once again, and found an ARF. I didn't know what ARF meant. But, when I found out, I thought, "What's the fun in that?" So, I figured I would by another kit, a "trainer", and then go back to the field. The Smith took me 5 months to build. The trainer took me two weeks, and it was a kit. (OK, an easy kit) Some kits are harder to build than others.
I learned something new. I honestly thought, ALL planes were built from a pile of sticks, like my Smith Miniplane. I didn't know anything about die-cut parts, OOOOOO, neat. (Come on, I was only 15yo)
Anyway, when I decided to get back into this hobby earlier this year, I didn't want to buy and build another trainer, as I remember getting bored of my first one in about a month.
I most certainly didn't want to "ASSEMBLE" an ARF, even after the guy at the local club suggested it. I think he just wanted to get me in the club now and get me out there flying, which I admire, they seem very receptive and a friendly bunch, which is a great quality in a club, unlike some, but that is a differant topic.
So, anyway, I went out and bought a Citabria Pro (Balsa USA) which I am now in the process of building. It flys like a trainer, yet can do advanced aerobatics later on. And of course, it is a "REAL" kit. Some of you may have seen some of my threads on questions about engines and covering etc. I just need a little boost to get back into this, which is why I love this website. What a wealth of knowledge.
I have always felt like building really is the biggest part of this hobby, and is a display of ones character and willingness to MAKE TIME to do it right. Patience truly is a virtue.
Anyway, I will never trust someone else to build my planes. And I truly believe that anyone who wants to build......I'm sorry, "ASSEMBLE" an ARF, should not only be inclined, but required by Federal Law to see this poor mans hand on the thread listed above.
Patriot